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Continuous vine growing dates back to Roman times; viticulture in today's Brand area is recorded in 1328 from documents of Pairis and the abbeys of Munster. Legend has it that when the valley of the Rhine was still underwater, a dragon emerged from the waves to rest awhile on the protruding Brand hilltop. The sun was too fierce, however, and its ray's eventually pierced the dragon's scales, drawing blood. Gravely wounded, the dragon dragged itself to a cave where it then died. Many centuries later, wine growers came to plant vines in this area. Still fertile with the dragon's blood, legend has it that the vines even today produce a wine of fire. Today, Baur's wines carry the dragon's image.
Pierre Baur is the son of Francois Baur, and the Domaine Baur comprises 11 ha (27 acres) of vines. Half of these are within the Brand Grand Cru, making them the largest landowners in Brand (which has heavy hitters like Boxler, Josmeyer and Zind-Humbrecht as neighbors). Baur also owns vines along the plateau Herrenweg, whose heavier soils provide the wines with exceptional richness. Baur now works alongside his son Thomas. Veronique Baur, Pierre's wife, owns a small restaurant amidst the flower decked streets of the quaint walled village of Turckheim.
Over the past several years, Baur has converted his vineyards to fully biodynamic production--a totally natural approach to the cultivation of vines that makes every attempt to respect the plants, the soil and the environment. No weed killers or insecticides are used; instead, certain types of grasses are encouraged to grow between the vines which actually strengthen the soil. To provide aeration, the earth is plowed manually a few times a year. Only natural products are used on the leaves of the vine itself: Work is scheduled according to the phases of the moon, often at night while the vines are resting and not fatigued by the sun. Studying in the same biodynamics class as Jean-Michel Deiss, one notes the fervor with which Baur now addresses his work; it has become a religion to him and, after having several false starts at the end of the nineties, he has finally succeeded with the difficult and courageous step of trusting nature alone in his vineyards.
In tasting through the past several vintages, one truly notices a progression in quality. Baur says that in Alsace, 2000 was a better vintage than 2001 which was better than 2002. But chez Baur, it is the opposite, and he is convinced that this is because of the biodynamic influence. He has been forced to drop yields by nearly a third, which has greatly increased his concentration. Harvest is done manually, vinification takes place with natural yeasts in large foudres. The wine is bottled after a minimal filtration.
Pinot Blanc Herrenweg: Red pit fruits, stones and apple on the nose. Medium to full body, with a hint of orange blossom. Clean, mineraled finish. Riesling Brand: Great nose combines lime, pineapple and petrol. Medium to full body, with an additional hint of mint. Great structure, and very long. Pinot Gris Herrenweg: Pineapple, vanilla, ripe pears and honey all lifted by lively acidity. Delightful! Gewurtztraminer Herrenweg: Subtle nose has all the flavors expected of this grape--lychee and rose-- expressed with wonderful finesse. Pure, silky and delicious! Want to buy? Copyright © 2008 Charles Neal Selections |
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At the entrance to the Munster valley, overlooking the town of Turkheim, the extensive Brand vineyard is located within a natural amphitheatre, facing south and southeast with remarkable exposure to the sun. It reaches 345 meters of altitude (further benefiting from the cooling breezes found at these altitudes). The soil here consists of granite replete with black and white micas mixed with course-grained sandy, acid brown soil with little capacity for water retention but plenty of mineraled character.
